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§Tittle pilgrim at Housekeeping — Jrontispicrr. 



‘ Oh, how pretty!” cried the little girls, p. 41, 


The Little Pilgrim Series, 


Little Pilgrim 


At Housekeeping. 



AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, 

No. 1122 CHESTNUT STREET. 


New York: Nos. 8 and io Bible House, Astor Place. 
Chicago : 73 Randolph Street. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by the 
AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 


/'1--5/Y0 £ 


LITTLE PILGRIM AT HOUSEKEEPING. 


I 



HE little pilgrim was nearly 


x seven years old. She had not 
done much but play all these years, 
and mamma thought it was time now 
for her little girl to learn to sew. 

But Bessie did not like sewing, 
and sometimes she would fret a good 
deal over one end of a towel that 
her mamma had given her to hem. 


5 


6 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 

She dropped her thimble and lost 
her needle and looked out of the 
window, and did not get her task 
done. 

Then her supper would be brought 
up stairs and put on her little blue 
table with the pictures on it, instead 
of taking it down stairs with the 
family ; and this was quite a pun- 
ishment for the little girl. 

“What will papa do,” said Mr. 
Morse, “when he gets a button off, 
if his little daughter cannot sew it 
on ?” 

“ Mamma will,” said Bessie. 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping . 7 

“ But mamma might be away 
some time or sick ; what then ?” 

“Why, then Aunt Lillie would, 
papa.” 

“ No, my little girl,” replied papa ; 
“Aunt Lillie must not be troubled 
with your duties ; she has enough 
of her own.” 

“What are ‘duties’?” asked Bes- 
sie. 

“Things that we ought to do; and 
one of the things that Bessie Morse 
ought to do is to learn to sew. She 
has a kind mamma to teach her, 
and it would not be at all hard. 


6 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 

She dropped her thimble and lost 
her needle and looked out of the 
window, and did not get her task 
done. 

Then her supper would be brought 
up stairs and put on her little blue 
table with the pictures on it, instead 
of taking it down stairs with the 
family ; and this was quite a pun- 
ishment for the little girl. 

“What will papa do,” said Mr. 
Morse, “when he gets a button off, 
if his little daughter cannot sew it 
on ?” 

“ Mamma will,” said Bessie. 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 7 

But mamma might be away 
some time or sick ; what then ?” 

“Why, then Aunt Lillie would, 
papa." 

“ N °, my little girl,” replied papa ; 
“Aunt Lillie must not be troubled 
with your duties; she has enough 
of her own.” 

“What are ‘duties’?” asked Bes- 
sie. 

“ Things that we ought to do ; and 
one of the things that Bessie Morse 
ought to do is to learn to sew. She 
has a kind mamma to teach her, 
and it would not be at all hard. 


8 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 

Some day, perhaps, she will have a 
house of her own, and then she must 
know how to sew and to do a great 
many things.” 

“ I should like to have a house 
of my own,” said the little pilgrim; 
“may I, papa?” 

Papa only gave her a good-bye 
kiss for answer, for he was going 
down to the office ; and Bessie took 
her work and went to Aunt Lillie for 
comfort. It was Saturday morning, 
so she did not go to school, and she 
had one side of an apron to hem be- 
fore dinner. 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 9 

Auntie often pitied her little niece 
when she sat puckering up her face 
and pricking her finger as she tried 
to sew, she looked so very little, and 
it seemed to be such hard work ; 
but she knew that it was right for 
her to do it, and she hoped that by 
and by she would like it. 

“ Now,” said Aunt Lillie, “you 
shall sit right here in the corner of 
my lounge and sew ; and I will sew 
too, and tell you a story. How will 
that do?” 

Bessie thought it would do very 
nicely, and Aunt Lillie took out her 


io Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping . 

work-basket and began her story. It 
was called 

THE LITTLE PRODIGAL. 

There was a great commotion in 
the family when little Carrie went to 
live with Bridget ; and this is how it 
happened. 

Mr. Stanley’s house had a large 
garden at the back ; and at one end 
of the garden there was a funny lit- 
tle house with only one room in it. 
It had never been used, because no 
one knew just what to do with it. 

One day Bridget Riley, a nice, re- 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 1 1 

spectable Irish woman who came 
every Monday to do the washing, 
seemed to be in great distress ; and 
when Mrs. Stanley asked the cause 
of her trouble, she said that the man 
who owned the house she rented had 
sold it over her head, and she didn’t 
see what would become of her. 

“You shall come and live in our 
little garden-house, Bridget,” said 
Carrie very gravely, “and we’ll all 
come and see you.” 

Bridget twisted the corner of her 
apron into her eye as she talked 
of her troubles. Mrs. Stanley was 


12 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 

quite taken with Carrie’s plan, and 
spoke to papa about it ; and it was 
soon settled that Mrs. Riley was to 
live in the one-roomed cottage. 

It was a bright May morning when 
the moving took place, and little Car- 
rie was busy there all day, flitting 
here and there, and watching Bridget 
while she scrubbed the floor and put 
down what she called her “bit of 
carpet” and got herself in order. It 
was a nice large room, and with 
everything so fresh and clean, and 
white curtains at the little windows, 
it looked very comfortable indeed. 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 13 

But the crowning beauty of the 
whole was a large basket that seem- 
ed to be full of cats. There was 
a mother cat and three little ones, 
and Carrie had one of them in her 
arms most of the time. She could 
not tell which was the prettier, the 
black or the gray-and-white ones, 
and it was very hard indeed to leave 
them and go home. She was paci- 
fied, however, by a promise of being 
allowed to go again the next day; 
and when she fell asleep in her lit- 
tle bed black and gray kittens were 
chasing wildly through her dreams. 


14 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 

The next morning Carrie came 
down stairs with quite a purpose. 

“ Mamma,” said she very soberly, 
“ I don’t think you need me, and I 
should like to go and be Bridget’s 
little girl. May I ?” 

“What!” said Mrs. Stanley, “to 
live there all the time ?” 

“Yes,” replied Carrie; “I could 
see you every day, you know, and 
the kittens are so pretty !” 

Mamma was trying not to smile as 
she continued, “Then I had better 
pack your little trunk and let Bridget 
know that you are coming.’” 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping . 15 

“Well,” said Carrie very content- 
edly. 

Mrs. Stanley went to consult Brid- 
get, who seemed very much pleased 
that the little girl should want to live 
with her, and declared that the “ dar- 
lint was intirely welcome.” 

The little visitor felt rather queer- 
ly when she and her trunk were left 
at the door of the garden-house, just 
as though she had taken a journey; 
but the kittens seemed prettier than 
ever, and nearly the whole day was 
spent in playing with them. 

It was real fun too to sit down at 


1 8 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping . 

“That’s me, mamma.” 

Soon after she began to cry. 

“What is the matter, dear?” asked 
mamma as she drew her little daugh- 
ter up to her. 

“Why,” sobbed Carrie, “if I’m a 
parigal, why didn’t somebody give 
me a new dress and a ring? I want 
a ring ever so much !” 

Then Mrs. Stanley explained the 
beautiful Gospel story to the little 
girl, and Carrie became quiet again. 

Soon Bridget came in with one of 
the gray-and-white kittens for Car- 
rie to keep for her very own, and 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 19 

the little girl said that it was given 
to her for being a “parigal.” 

Bessie liked this story very much. 
Presently she said, 

“ I wish there was a little house 
in our garden, auntie.” 

“And a Bridget to live in it?” ask- 
ed Aunt Lillie. 

“ No, ma’am,” replied the little 
pilgrim ; “ I don’t want any Brid- 
get there; only a little house that I 
could have for my own, and keep 
the dollies and all my things in it, 
and play tea there with Mary West 


20 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping . 

and Sadie and Florrie. Couldn’t I, 
auntie ?” 

“You might, perhaps, if there was 
a little house,” said Aunt Lillie, “ but 
I do not see how you can when there 
isn’t any.” 

Bessie thought that this was very 
true ; and she tried not to think of 
the little house, but to be satisfied 
with all the things that she had 
already. 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 21 


II. 


UNT LILLIE and mamma had 



1 a long talk about this same lit- 
tle house, and then papa was con- 
sulted, and grandpa. 

“Uncle Sam” was sent for out of 
the garden, where he was at work, 
for it was just the time now to dig 
up gardens and plant things ; and 
he stood twisting his old hat, which 
he always took off when he saw 
the ladies, and saying, “Yes, missus,” 
and “ No, missus,” to the questions 
that were asked him. 


22 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping . 

Pretty soon Uncle Sam began 
hammering and pounding at the 
end of the garden among the lilac- 
bushes ; but as he had a piece of 
fence to mend there, and as he often 
hammered and pounded, the little 
pilgrim did not think this at all 
strange. 

The old colored man had a way 
of covering his work over as he 
went on, so that it could not be seen 
just what he was at; but when Bes- 
sie was at school, mamma and Aunt 
Lillie often went down into the gar- 
den to see how Uncle Sam was get- 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 23 

ting on. What do you suppose he 
was doing? 

On the next Saturday, when our 
little pilgrim was seated again at her 
hemming and looking rather unhap- 
py over it, mamma said, 

“ I see that my little girl does not 
like to sew, and unless she tries 
harder I am afraid she will never 
sew well. In one month she will 
be seven years old; and if by that 
time she can do her hemming as it 
ought to be done I will give her a 
reward — something that she will like 
very much indeed.” 


24 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 

“ Oh, mamma !” exclaimed Bessie, 
jumping up so quickly that her cot- 
ton and thimble and scissors all fell 
on the floor and rolled away as if 
they were trying to hide themselves, 
“ what is the reward going to be ?” 

“ First,” said Mrs. Morse, “ it will 
be mamma’s approval, which I know 
that my little girl cares for.” Bessie 
gave her a very tight hug at this. 
“Then it will be something that we 
think will give her constant pleasure. 
But she is not to know about it un- 
til her birthday comes, and mamma 
trusts to her honor to ask no more 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 25 

questions of any one, and not to try 
to find out what it is.” 

And Bessie’s honor could always 
be trusted. She kissed her mother 
affectionately, and said, “I will prom- 
ise, mamma and then she sat very 
quietly at her sewing until the hem- 
ming was finished. 

It was done better than she had 
ever done any before, and Aunt Lil- 
lie said that she could see a great im- 
provement ; the stitches didn’t laugh 
at each other as they used to. 

The birds were all making their 
nests and singing and chirping in 


26 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping . 

the trees around, and Uncle Sam 
appeared to be making a nest too. 
If he had told Bessie this, she would 
have thought that he must be a very 
large kind of blackbird. 


III. 

“ OEVEN years old to-day, little 
^ pilgrim !” sang the birds — or 
Bessie thought that they did — as 
she jumped out of bed on that 
bright summer morning. 

The first thing was to run in to 
papa and mamma for seven kisses 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 27 

from each of them ; then mamma 
sent her back to kneel down and 
thank God for all his goodness and 
care through these seven long years. 

“That is the way to begin our 
birthdays right,” said papa; “and 
then we can enjoy what God has 
given us.” 

The little pilgrim got dressed as 
fast as she could, and went down 
stairs to be kissed by the rest of 
the family. She began to feel a lit- 
tle disappointed because she hadn’t 
seen any presents yet, and she had 
been wondering so what the reward 


28 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping . 

would be. Both mamma and Aunt 
Lillie said, only the day before, that 
she had fully earned it by taking 
such pains with her sewing. 

When breakfast was over Bessie 
said, “ Mamma, am I going to be 
s’prised now?” 

“ I hope so, dear,” was the smiling 
reply. And, taking their little girl 
by the hand, papa and mamma led 
the way into the garden. 

Grandpapa and Aunt Lillie went 
too ; and they all walked right down 
to the lilac-bushes where Uncle Sam 
had been working. 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 29 

Bessie stood perfectly still for a 
minute ; she could scarcely believe 
her eyes. There was the loveliest 
little brown house made of logs, 
with a piazza across the front, and 
on the piazza there were two little 
rustic chairs. Blanche sat in one 
and Sarah Jane in the other. 

To be sure, Blanche had a new 
head, and a while ago Aunt Lillie 
made her a new body; and Sarah 
Jane was new from head to foot. 
But the little pilgrim liked to think 
that they were the same old dollies. 

Then papa said: 


30 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping . 

“ ‘ Will you walk into my parlor ?’ 

Said the spider to the fly ; 

‘ ’Tis the prettiest little parlor 
That ever you did spy 

and he took out a key and unlocked 
the front door. 

To think of its being locked, and 
having doors and windows like any 
other house ! But Bessie was not 
sure yet; she felt as if she was 
dreaming. 

The first room they went into was 
the parlor, which was about as large 
as her own little room. It had a 
pretty paper on the walls and some 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 31 

pictures ; and there were white cur- 
tains to the little window. It had 
wicker furniture in it, and mamma 
and Aunt Lillie had made red cush- 
ions for the sofa and easy-chairs. 

It seemed to have everything in 
it that a parlor ought to have; and 
there was even a straw matting on 
the floor and two pretty rugs that 
mamma had made out of Bessie’s 
old dresses. In one corner stood a 
little bookcase with Bessie’s favor- 
ite books in it, and a cabinet on the 
other side held her nicest toys. 

The kitchen had a little stove, 


32 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 

and the stove would actually cook ! 
The kettle was boiling there now. 
On the dresser-shelves were small 
dishes and pans, and in the china- 
closet there was a complete tea- 
set, with coffee-pot and tea-pot and 
everything that was necessary. 

The house was all on one floor; 
and besides the parlor and kitchen 
there was a small bedroom. Here 
the little girl found an entire set of 
cottage furniture just large enough 
for her to use — bedstead, bureau, 
table, washstand, rocking-chair and 
three other chairs. The things were 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping . 33 

all painted pale blue, and had 
bunches of pink rosebuds on them. 

The sheets and towels were mark- 
ed with Bessie’s name, and it seem- 
ed certain now that this lovely house 
was meant for her. 

“ Miss Morse,” said papa, looking 
very funny as he took her on his 
knee, “ do you know what the rent 
of this house is ?” 

“No, papa,” she replied in great 
surprise; “will I have to pay rent 
for it?” 

“ Do you suppose,” asked papa, 
“ that I can afford to build houses 
3 


34 Little Pilgrim cd Housekeeping. 

and let people live in them for 
nothing ? No, indeed, ma’am. I 
really couldn’t do it.” 

Bessie stole a glance at him to 
see if he was in earnest, and then 
she looked at mamma and Aunt 
Lillie. But every one was quite 
grave ; and the little pilgrim began 
to think that she couldn’t have this 
lovely house, after all, if rent had 
to be paid for it. 

“ I’ve got fifty cents in my pocket- 
book, papa,” she began. 

But papa cut her short with kisses 
as he said, “ Did my baby really think 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 35 

her father wanted her to pay him 
money for the house ? No, indeed, 
but the rent is to be paid in obedi- 
ence and learning to be a nice little 
housekeeper and seamstress. Do you 
think you can afford to hire it now ?” 

Bessie looked up at mamma, who 
was smiling at her very encouraging- 
ly, and who replied for her, 

“I think she can, papa. We will 
try our little girl, and place the key 
in her hands ; and whenever she 
fails in her duties the house must 
be closed for a week. Isn’t this a 
good bargain, Bessie?” 


36 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 

The little pilgrim thought it was 
a lovely one, and she danced joyful- 
ly about to take possession of her 
treasures. 

She was to keep her little house 
in perfect order, with some help 
from Jane at first; and this would 
teach her to sweep and dust and 
do many things that would be use- 
ful for her to know. Then Uncle 
Sam had made a little garden for 
her on one side of the house, and 
planted some flowers for her to take 
care of, so that she had plenty of 
work laid out. 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 37 

“You must have a house-warm- 
ing,” said Aunt Lillie; “and, as it 
is your birthday, suppose that you 
invite seven little girls to help you 
keep it?” 

Bessie was of course delighted, 
and mamma and papa and grand- 
papa knew all about it before. Aunt 
Lillie said that she would write a 
nice note to each of the little girls, 
and Uncle Sam could take them at 
once. 

Mary West was invited, and Dory, 
although he was a boy. But they 
counted him in as a girl because he 


38 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 

was so little and he enjoyed going 
to parties so much. He was five 
years old now, but he could scarcely 
talk plainly yet. 

Mary was nine, and one of the 
sweetest little girls that Bessie knew. 
Mamma said that she liked to have 
Mary with her little daughter, and 
she was very glad that she lived 
next door. 

Sadie and Florrie had a note too, 
and they always liked to visit Bessie, 
and their mamma liked to have them 
do so. They were “Sweet Peas” yet, 
and as fond of each other as ever. 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 39 

Then there was “Mother Goose’’ — 
such a fat little dumpling of a girl! — 
and her two little cousins who were 
visiting her. This made seven al- 
together; and Bessie, you know, 
was just seven years old. 

There were seven candles now 
around the birthday cake, which was 
just as pink and pretty as it had al- 
ways been. Rosy made it the day 
before, for she knew it would be 
wanted; no one ever forgot when 
Bessie’s birthday came. 


40 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 


IV. 

' I "'HE little pilgrim was to receive 
her visitors in mamma’s parlor, 
and, when they had all come, to ask 
them to walk over to her own house, 
where she was to act as the little 
mistress. 

“ I’ve gone to housekeeping,” said 
she, just as her mamma might have 
said it, ‘'and the party’s to be in my 
house.” 

“Is it far?” asked Mary West, 
who was looking at her little friend 
in great surprise. It seemed as if 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 41 

something like the things in fairy- 
tales must have happened to her. 

“Come with me,” said Bessie; “I’ll 
show T you and they all went. 

“Oh, how pretty!” cried the little 
girls when they saw the small brown 
house by the lilac-bushes ; “ is it all 
your own to live in ?” 

No, Bessie said, it wasn’t hers to 
live in, because she didn’t want to 
live in it ; she wanted to live in the 
big house with the rest of the fam- 
ily. But it was hers to play in and 
to keep in nice order ; and if she did 
not take care of it or do her sewing 


42 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 

well, papa would lock it up for a 
week. 

“It’s lovely!” said the Sweet Peas; 
“wouldn’t it be nice if we could all 
live here together?” 

Then they all began to say what 
they would have for dinner; and a 
very funny dinner, indeed, it would 
have been. No one said anything 
about meat and potatoes, and you 
wouldn’t have supposed that there 
was such a thing as bread in the 
world. 

Mother Goose said she would 
have currant cake, and Dory want- 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 43 

ed it all candy. Bessie thought she 
v would like raisins, and the Sweet 
Peas chose ice-cream. The little 
cousins who lived in the country 
said they would have apples and 
nuts. 

Bessie behaved very nicely among 
her little guests that afternoon. She 
was very polite and attentive, and 
while enjoying herself did not forget 
that her visitors must be thought of 
first. She gave them the best seats, 
and played whatever they liked, and 
did not act as if everything belonged 
to her. She wanted her friends to 


44 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 

enjoy her house too ; and they did 
enjoy it very much. 

The house was rather small to 
play in, but they had the whole gar- 
den for that, and the piazza too ; and 
they raced about to their hearts’ con- 
tent. The grown people came to 
look at them now and then ; and 
by and by the birthday-feast was 
ready. 

Papa asked if he might come, 
and the children all said, “Yes in- 
deed, sir,” and made room for him 
at once. He ate the funny little 
slices of bread, for Rosy had made 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping . 45 

small loaves, just suited to the 
house, and swallowed the small 
cakes, and said that everything was 
very good, what there was of it ! 

“ But, papa,” said the lady of the 
house, who began to feel anxious, 
“I’m afraid that if you eat so fast 
there won’t be enough.” 

Papa stopped and pretended to 
be quite alarmed. “We must in- 
quire into that,” said he. — “Jane, how 
are the supplies?” 

“There’s plenty, sir,” replied Jane, 
who was trying not to laugh ; “ Rosy 
has more in the kitchen.” 


46 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping 

“ There’s Buff,” said Mary ; “ shall 
I send him home?” 

“No indeed,” said papa; “let him 
stay ;” and “ No indeed,” said the 
children joyfully. So Buff stayed. 

There never was such a dog for 
going to parties as Buff, and there 
never was such a dog for eating. 
He swallowed everything that was 
given to him, and then stood wag- 
ging his tail for more. 

Buff seemed to enjoy it all very 
much ; and the laughter of the hap- 
py children was heard as long as the 
June daylight lasted. 


Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 47 

Then they went home, and the 
little house was carefully locked 
and the key given to Bessie. 

“And to-day,” said grandpapa as 
he took her on his knee for a good- 
night talk, “our little pilgrim has 
turned the key upon the first seven 
years of her life — that part of it 
which is called her infancy. She 
will now travel for seven years 
more, should God spare her to us, 
the road of childhood. My little 
girl understands now, I think, why 
grandpapa called her 'a little pil- 
grim ’ when he first saw her?” 

o 


48 Little Pilgrim at Housekeeping. 

“Yes, grandpapa,” replied Bessie ; 
“you said that every one is a pilgrim 
on the path of life.” 

“I am glad to hear that my pet 
remembers it so well,” said grand- 
papa with a loving kiss. “ Life, dear 
child, is a pilgrimage — for you just 
begun, for me nearly ended — and as 
long as he lives grandpapa will pray 
that his little Bessie may be a pil- 
grim, or a traveller, to the heavenly 
country.” 













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